A Match Made In Jannah

Chapter 46

DANYAAL'S POV

"Locating your BMW. Please wait while we redirect you to an alternate page," the sharp, robotic voice on the GPS recited.

"Drive 500m, then turn right. Continue straight. After 1 km, turn left and then left again. Your destination is on the left."

I knew Morningville well enough by now to know where we were going. The GPS led me to the family planning clinic just off the main road. Tucked in the middle of the city centre, it was difficult to be accused of visiting the clinic, because an excuse could be made that you were visiting the shopping centre right opposite it. The parking lot was empty, except for my father's BMW.

My heart dropped and landed with a thud in my knees, and turned them to jelly. I had never imagined that she would consider this an option. She knew, and I knew, that Islamically this was the worst thing that she could do. In Islam, even the foetus was seen as a human being and therefore had the same rights as I did. If she committed this grave sin, she would be guilty of killing another innocent Muslim, and liable for a large sum of blood money. The child would testify against her on the day of Qiyamah and she knew all of this. Why then, would she go ahead with the abortion?

I lifted up my hands and prayed to Allah to protect my sister and her child.

MAARIAH'S POV

The lady approached me with her suction machine and my stomach muscles constricted, I was afraid. As she prepared me for the proceedings, I began to contemplate my life and my future.

As I drifted off into a land of thoughts, my hand made its way to my stomach. I stroked the growing bump that contained my baby and thought of tomorrow, when the bump would disappear and I would have nothing inside of me. I imagined the child, and in my mind he was no longer just a piece of tissue but an actual human being, screaming and crying as the doctor used her fancy tools to kill her. I imagined him yelling, "Ummi why? Please Ummi, make them stop! I need you Ummi. No! No! I love you Ummi!"

A single tear made its way down my cheek.

The child inside of me was living and his voice filled my head. I imagined him telling me that he loved me. I imagined him telling me what was happening inside of me, day by day as he developed and became stronger. I imagined a cute voice crying out, "Ummi, today I managed to kick a little. I wish you could feel it. One day Ummi, you're going to teach me how to kick a ball. I'll be stronger then, Ummi. I'm getting stronger now too!"
I imagined putting him in a high chair and feeding him the mushy baby food advertised in the clinic, while most of it dribbled down his chin. I imagined him clinging to me as I dropped him off at school for the first time, and then having a huge smile plastered on his face when I return to pick him up, as he narrates to me the best day of his life so far.
The whirring noise of the suction machine pulls me out of my daydream and then I realise that none of this will ever happen, because I'm about to end it all.

The tears cascaded down my cheeks like waterfalls now, and I realised in that instant that I loved my child with a kind of love that only I would ever understand. He was a part of me now and I will always love him. This may not have been the wisest choice but it was the right choice.

"No!" I screamed and jumped off the bed.

"Ma'am, you're going to put the baby in danger!" the doctor gasped.

"I...I...I don't want to abort my child. I can't. I love you my baby boy, I love you, I love you! Ummi loves you, okay? Don't ever forget that," I said, in between sobs.

"Calm down darling, it's okay. Also, how did you know it was a boy?" the doctor asked curiously.

"I just did," I smiled.

At that very moment, Danyaal rushed in through the door and screamed "DON'T," so loudly that the whole clinic and neighbouring shops probably heard.